Overview

This well-made amateur film, made in SuperMidaVision, extols all that Brighton had to offer its visitors during the late 1960s. It includes the Royal Pavilion, street markets, the bustling Lanes, the Palace Pier and glimpses of the now ruined West Pier. We travel along the seafront on the historic Volk's Railway, watch a game of bowls in a beautiful park and end with the Old Crocks Race attended by Prince Rainier of Monaco and his glamorous wife, Grace Kelly.

SuperMidaVision was a pun devised by the filmmaker, John Midderigh, to describe his experiments with various lenses which produce widescreen effects like CinemaScope Anamorphic, which has an aspect ratio of 2.66 to 1. Through these experiments with formats and aspect ratios, John was able to capture both the beauty of the natural Downland landscape around Brighton and its urban environment to the full.

Ploughing at Fulking and views of Shipley Mill

Frank Gregory captures rural West Sussex in this charming film from 1969 - featuring Shire horses at a ploughing match and excellent views of a spinning Shipley Mill

About the archive

Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.